Mystery shrouds over Om Puri’s death

Ex-wives hold two separate prayer meets

In a departure from norms, both his former wives, Seema Kapoor and Nandita Puri, held two separate and simultaneous prayer meetings for his chautha, leaving industry insiders divided between choosing one gathering over the other.

One gathering, organised by the late actor’s second wife Nandita Puri along with her 16-year-old son Ishaan, was held at Juhu’s Iskcon Temple and was attended by several biggies, including Amitabh Bachchan, accompanied by Abhishek and Aishwarya.

Among the first to arrive was Naseeruddin Shah, a close friend of the late actor. “I want you to know that Om’s journey from the corridors of the old Delhi station to becoming a successful actor [is one] we all fantasise about,” he was heard saying while addressing the guests and recounting moments with his late friend.

Meanwhile, closer to Puri’s residence in Andheri, his first wife Seema appeared visibly distraught while stepping out of the gurdwara where she conducted the chautha with her brother Annu Kapoor. Actor Kulbhushan Kharbanda was seen interacting with guests at the event, which also saw celebrities like Divya Dutta, Jackie Shroff and Pawan Malhotra in attendance. Television personalities, including Karanvir Bohra and Sunil Pal, also arrived to pay their respect.

The report states that “there was a wound on the left side of the actor’s head, which may have been sustained in a fall.”

Death of legendary Indian actor Om Puri is plunging towards mystery as postmortem report has not indicated cardiac failure as the core cause of the actor’s demise, contrary to the ‘fact’ aired by various sections of the media.

As per reports,  the preliminary postmortem report has not established a clear cause of the death. Police, however, have filed an accidental death report as per routine procedure, and viscera samples have been sent to the forensic lab to ascertain the exact cause of death. Police have also recorded statements from the a domestic help who worked at the actor’s house and his driver, officers said. “We have received the preliminary postmortem report of actor Om Puri, and it does not clearly state the cause of death. As of now, it states that there was a minor injury on the left side of Puri’s head,” media from India quoted the authorities as saying.

“We had registered the ADR on Friday and are carrying out our inquiries in the matter,” said Mumbai Police Spokesperson and DCP Ashok Dudhe.

Puri had a Bollywood spanning over four decades. He also starred in a series of British movies, reported BBC, which added that Puri “was known for his gritty performances in a number of landmark Indian films in the 1980s.” He was a Bollywood star who also made a mark on Hollywood, starring in movies like City of Joy, Wolf, and Charlie Wilson’s War. American audiences may also remember him opposite Helen Mirren in The Hundred-Foot Journey.

His work was lauded by many in Bollywood, especially, as well as the Indian prime minister. People called him an essential piece of Indian cinema, whose loss would be hard to repair.

Over a four-decade career, Puri won numerous prestigious cinema awards in India and the UK. His second wife, Nandita, upset Puri by writing about his personal life in a biography, according to the Times of India. The Sun reported that his son is called Ishaan and that he reconciled with his first wife Seema Kapoor after the book.